Protect our rights

The Bangor Daily News has encouraged readers to vote yes on Question 1 on the November ballot to repeal the law that would eliminate the ability to register and vote on Election Day. I fully support that yes vote.

In 38 years there were few cases of fraudulent voting according to the state, and the consequence of our registering and voting on Election Day is a consistently high turnout of qualified voters, a proud achievement. I helped get petition signatures and heard many stories from people about how our system permitted them to vote, stories from women with jobs and young children who could not get to town offices to register or workers who traveled all over the state for work or who held two or three jobs.

I spoke with clerks who told me registering on Election Day was no problem for them. Anyone who thinks it is easy to go to the town clerk’s office and register has not tried it. I had to get petitions certified and discovered many towns can’t keep clerks working five days a week or even for full days. Most left work at 4:30 p.m., long before working people could leave jobs and get there — unless willing to take time off and lose pay.

And what could be next to limit our voting? Take a test to show we know the issues? Vote yes on Question 1 to protect our rights.

Julie Grab

Old Town

Dumping on Maine

Regarding the proposed expansion of Juniper Ridge landfill, I would like to ask how waste that is imported from out of our state can then be transported to Juniper Ridge and become “Maine waste” because it is “processed” at another facility in Lewiston. This is an outrage that needs to be corrected by our legislators.

I believe this landfill was a product of former Gov. Baldacci’s poorly thought-out solution regarding landfills. I urge someone with any sense of pride in our state government to change this side-stepped method of our state being a dumping ground for those parties using our once fair state as their private dump.

Any reasonable and sensible person should be able to realize this. Do our legislators and the DEP fit into this equation? No one should not have to pose these questions for those who are supposed to be there to protect our great state.

Darrold Dorr

Franklin

Swinger parties: MYOB

Regarding the BDN’s recent article about the catering business hosting swinger sex parties in Sanford: open sex is not against the law in a private place between consenting adults. The cover charge was paid and the public could not gain access without paying.

The neighbors would be better off minding their own business.

Bob Sabins

Winterport

Working for whom?

Sens. Snowe and Collins voted to kill the jobs bill. It stopped the creation of 4,800 jobs for Mainers according to MSNBC. Mainers shouldn’t be surprised by the actions of these two senators.

Killing the jobs bill goes against everything Gov. LePage has worked hard to increase jobs for our state.

Newspaper articles and newsletters promote all their good works, while their main goal is to stick to a united Republican political agenda, to run our president out of office. That agenda also is to protect the rich.

According to Politico, there are 237 millionaires among the 535 members of Congress.

Between 2007-2009, while Americans lost thousands of jobs, even during the Bush tax-cuts era, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., gained $92 million, along with others in Congress gaining between $2.6 million and $3 million.

The investments from which they profited received federal bailouts. Dozens of lawmakers also are invested in Wells Fargo, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America.

Big banks are paying out millions to more than 400 lobbyists to sway our lawmakers to allow big banks and their investors to get richer. They’re the root cause of class warfare between the rich and middle class, which is the opposite to the snow job their feeding the American people.

Only 9 percent of the American people trust Congress. Vote those do-nothings out of Congress, so we can elect lawmakers who seek the peoples best interest first.

Joan Gilbert-Croteau

Skowhegan

Inappropriate comment

Frankfort: Liar, liar pants on fire!

Makes you think of playgrounds and recess, unless you went to Frankfort’s town hearing

to discuss the proposed wind ordinance. Like the calm before a storm, it was a cooperative and quiet meeting. The overall atmosphere was sad.

It was hard to hear a mother’s story of her children on medications and the agitation of her elderly grandmother living with dementia. It was hard to hear the cracking voices from residents trying to get their words out, into the microphone, without choking up. It was hard to avoid the tears from welling up as we listened to the pleas for neighbors to look out for

each other.

Travis Bullard, Eolian’s Senior Development Manager, thanked the ordinance committee for its hard work. He tried to reassure us that Eolian would protect us and said that we didn’t need to worry. This song and dance reminds me of the character Squealer in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm.”

Travis appeared sympathetic until the meeting ended, that is. Liar, liar pants on fire is still sung in schools. Only at the Frankfort Elementary School, instead of a child, Eolian’s own salesman, Travis, was singing it.

Telling a committee member to stop lying lacked professionalism and displayed the true colors of the salesman. The implications of his actions weren’t captivated by the news reporters. Before Mount Waldo is blasted and the turbines are erected, I hope Frankfort chooses to protect each other by voting for the wind ordinance.

Sadie Fournier

Frankfort

Engaged presence

Given today’s dynamic Belfast, we support Jim O’Connor as the next mayor. Belfast grows more exciting every day with all that’s happening on the waterfront, continuing growth in foundation entities like the hospital, library, businesses, the YMCA, et al. Jim is an active, engaged presence throughout the community and involved at diverse levels.

Leadership has evolved to meet these challenges and opportunities. We are poised to elect a mayor with wide-ranging experiences, who becomes a public and involved leader for all of Belfast with a supporting vision for residents, businesses, newcomers and possibilities for all. Jim O’Connor will do that!

We have known Jim O’Connor both personally and professionally for many years. He has the vision and leadership and will help all in working better together for “one Belfast.”